5 Best SSD Laptops

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Although they have more limited capacity and are more expensive, solid-state drives (SSD) are much better than hard disk drives (HDD). They are significantly faster, which means your computer or laptop boots up quicker and programs load faster. In addition, they are more reliable in the long run, use less power, and run quieter due to them not having moving parts.

If you care about storage performance when shopping for laptops, then you should focus on the best laptops with SSD storage. There are a lot of them out on the market, though, which makes shopping for one confusing and time-consuming. Fortunately for you, we already got you covered. In this guide, you’ll find the top SSD laptops currently out. All products listed here have very fast read and write speeds, which is especially great for productivity.

1. Best Pick: Apple MacBook Pro

The Apple MacBook Pro is the best overall option if you are in the market for the best SSD laptops, boasting a ridiculously fast SSD that embarrasses the competition. It’s on the expensive side, but if you care a lot about SSD performance, you’d be hard-pressed to find other non-gaming options currently out. There are different configurations for the MacBook Pro. The model listed here is the 13-inch model with the Touch Bar, an Intel Core i7-8559U processor, an 8 GB memory, and a 512 GB storage.

Design & Features

Available in Silver and Space Gray, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has an aluminum chassis featuring a 13.3-inch Retina display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. While the bezels around the display are quite thick, they look good. At around three pounds, this Apple laptop is not as light as other premium laptops, though, with the Dell XPS 13, the Huawei MateBook X Pro, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon all weighing less.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro has an improved keyboard. The backlit keyboard is quieter and more durable. While the keys are still on the shallow side, the keyboard is comfortable to use for extended periods. The large touchpad is also great. It’s smooth and accurate and easily registers shortcuts.

Unlike most other laptops, this Apple laptop does not include Function keys in the top row of the keyboard. Instead, it has the Apple Touch Bar, which is basically a mini touchscreen. The customizable Touch Bar can be used for different things, such as swiping through images and playing music. It’s not for everyone, though, with many people considering it more of a gimmick than a useful tool.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro also includes built-in speakers. They are some of the best laptop speakers out there, with a good sound output even at high volumes. While they are not as good as headphones and external speakers, they are more than good enough for listening to music and watching movies.

For connectivity, this Apple laptop has four USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, which allows for ultra-fast data transfers. You can use these high-speed ports for connecting an external GPU for gaming or an external monitor for expanding your screen real estate. There are two USB-C ports on each side of the laptop, along with an audio port on the right side. Sadly, there are no SD card slot and USB-A ports on this laptop.

Performance

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is an excellent machine for office work and general use. You can easily multitask on it with multiple apps and more than a dozen browser tabs open at the same time. While it gets a bit loud, it stays fairly cool when under heavy load. As mentioned earlier, it has a ridiculously fast SSD storage. It’s about four to six times faster than all the other laptops included on this list, which is incredible and hard to believe until you see it for yourself.

The battery life, however, is not as good as that of the competition. It can run up to 8-9 hours when used for general tasks, which should be good enough for most people. If you are constantly on the move and barely get the chance to charge your mobile gadgets, you’ll find the battery life unsuitable.

Featuring excellent color accuracy, this Apple laptop has a great display, with its 16:10 aspect ratio allowing for a bit more vertical screen space. The viewing angles are great, which means the colors don’t dramatically shift when viewing the screen from the side, while the brightness is great. The laptop can easily reach 400 nits of brightness, which is good enough for outdoor use, though not when under direct sunlight.

For gaming, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which includes an Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 integrated GPU, is not recommended, especially if you want to play recently released triple-A games with pretty graphics. Unlike the 15-inch model, it can’t be configured with a dedicated GPU. You can connect an external GPU if you want, but there are better options out there if you want a laptop for gaming.

Verdict

Overall, the MacBook Pro is one of the best SSD laptops on the market. Whether you go for the 13-inch model or the 15-inch model, you’ll get an extremely fast SSD storage and multiple options for storage capacity. If you can afford to spend more than $2,000 on a premium laptop for office work and general use, check out this Apple product.

2. Best Budget: Acer Aspire E 15

One of the best laptops with a backlit keyboard, the Acer Aspire E 15 is an excellent budget laptop, offering better value than most other products in the same class and price range. The specific model listed here – the E5-576G-5762 – includes an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, an 8 GB memory, and a 256 GB storage. While not exactly as cheap as netbooks, this Acer laptop is significantly more affordable than all the other products here, selling for less than $600.

Design & Features

The Aspire E 15 is not much of a head-turner, especially compared to the Apple MacBook Pro and other premium laptops. At around 5.3 pounds, it’s easily the heaviest laptop listed here, not to mention the thickest, measuring 1.2 inches thick. In other words, it’s the least travel-friendly, but on the other hand, it has the largest display, featuring a 15.6-inch display with a 1080p resolution.

There is a built-in camera in the top bezel, which is thicker than the side bezels. The laptop includes built-in speakers, which are decent for laptop speakers but are not as good as an external sound system, especially regarding the bass output. The backlit keyboard has a number pad, which makes it unique among the products on this list. The keyboard is comfortable to use, with good key travel and tactile feedback, but the backlight timeout is too fast.

Compared to our top pick, this Acer product has much more connection options. On the left side, you’ll find two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one VGA port, one Ethernet port, and one USB-C port, with the HDMI port allowing for easy connectivity with an external monitor. On the other side, you’ll find one more USB-A port and one audio port. There is also an optical drive in the right side and an SD card slot on the front edge.

Performance

The Aspire E 15 is a great laptop for work and general use, boasting a good CPU, a fast SSD, and an excellent battery life. The SSD is definitely not as fast as that of the Apple MacBook Pro, but it’s one of the faster ones in budget laptops. The battery life, on the other hand, is much better, with Acer claiming up to 15 hours of battery.

You can easily multitask on this laptop with multiple apps and Chrome tabs open at the same time, and the good news is that the machine doesn’t get too hot even when under heavy load. On the other hand, this laptop is not ideal for creative work, as the display quality is subpar overall, especially regarding color accuracy. While the viewing angles are decent, the color accuracy and the brightness are not going to impress you.

Featuring an Nvidia GeForce MX150 dedicated GPU with a 2 GB memory, the Aspire E 15 is also decent for light gaming. You can play older and less graphically demanding games on this machine, but you shouldn’t expect very high frame rates even with the game settings dialed down. If, however, you want to play recent triple-A games, this is not the laptop for you.

Verdict

In all, the Aspire E 15 is a recommended product if you want a budget laptop with good performance, a comfortable keyboard, good connectivity options, and a dedicated GPU. You can also easily upgrade the storage and memory of this laptop, thanks to the easily accessible compartment on the underside.

3. Best Value: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

If you are looking for a laptop that will serve you well for at least three or four years, check out the 6th Gen Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. It’s got an extremely durable chassis, an excellent keyboard, and multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports for high-speed data transfers. There are different configurations for this business laptop – including one that comes with a QHD HDR display. The model listed here includes a 1080p display, an Intel Core i7-8650U processor, a 16 GB memory, and a 512 GB storage.

Design & Feature

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is built to run under extreme conditions, boasting a carbon fiber reinforced chassis and a magnesium alloy roll-cage. It’s a well-designed laptop featuring a 14-inch IPS display with a common 1080p resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. While they are thicker in the top and bottom sides, the bezels around the multi-point touchscreen look good. There is a built-in camera in the top bezel, and unlike with most laptops, it has a slide-in cover, which means you don’t need to put tape on the camera for privacy.

One of the best things about the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is its excellent keyboard, which features the familiar red TrackPoint in the middle for seamless navigation while typing. The backlit keyboard has well-spaced keys with good travel. Of the products listed here, this laptop offers the best overall keyboard, which isn’t really surprising considering Lenovo ThinkPads are known for their great keyboards.

The touchpad is also good. It can easily read multi-finger Windows 10 gestures and doesn’t feel cheaply implemented. There are three clickable buttons in the touchpad, with the smaller middle button allowing for easy scrolling using the TrackPoint in the keyboard. The fingerprint reader, which allows you to easily log in to Windows 10, is right next to the touchpad.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has built-in speakers, but they are not that great. Although the down-firing speakers can get loud enough to fill a small room, the sound quality is mediocre, most especially at high volumes. If you want to watch movies on this laptop, it’s much better to use headphones or external speakers.

Like with our budget pick, this Lenovo laptop offers more versatility regarding connection options than the more expensive Apple MacBook Pro. On the left side, you’ll find one HDMI port, one USB-A port, and two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support. You can use the USB-C ports for charging the laptop using the included adapter. On the right side, you’ll find one USB-A port and one audio port. There is also a microSD card slot on this laptop, which is convenient for photographers.

Performance

Featuring a fast SSD and a generous RAM, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a fantastic laptop for productivity and general use. It can handle multitasking like a champ, barely breaking a sweat even when there are around 20 tabs on Chrome or when multiple apps are running. It has a good cooling system and boasts an excellent fast-charging battery, with Lenovo claiming 15 hours of battery life, which is more than enough for all-day usage. The battery reaches 80 percent capacity after just around one hour of charging.

While not as good as the more expensive QHD HDR model, this ultraportable laptop has good overall picture quality. The sRGB color space coverage is great while the viewing angles are wide, which is especially beneficial when showing your work to a client sitting right next to you. The peak brightness is also good, but it’s not as bright as the HDR display.

Like most other laptops designed for professional and business use, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is not a suitable laptop for serious gaming. One reason for that is the limitation of the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU. You can use this laptop for occasionally playing older and less graphically demanding games, though. If you want a boost, you can connect an external GPU using one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Verdict

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an outstanding product overall. It has good connectivity options, a superb keyboard, an excellent battery life, and a durable chassis. You can use it either as your designated travel laptop, primary work laptop, or secondary screen in a multi-monitor setup. It’s on the expensive side, though, but it’s definitely worth the money.

4. Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe

The Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe is an ultraportable laptop that combines killer looks with solid performance, featuring a gorgeous chassis, a fast SSD, and a powerful CPU. The product listed here is the UX490UA model, which includes an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, a 16 GB memory, and a 512 GB storage.

Design & Features

With its royal blue color scheme, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe easily stands out among other ultraportable laptops, which is really saying something considering it’s in the same category as the Dell XPS 13. It has a sturdy aluminum body that’s around 0.5 inches thin and only weighs about 2.4 pounds, making it the lightest laptop on this list. The build quality is outstanding, with no hints of Asus cutting corners in the construction.

The 14-inch display has a 1080p resolution and a common 16:9 aspect ratio. The bezels around the display are narrow and look great, with the built-in camera located in the top bezel. The built-in camera, however, is mediocre, which is disappointing for a laptop that sells for over $1,000.

Featuring gold lettering and gold backlighting, the keyboard is well-designed, with good key travel and tactile feedback. It has well-spaced keys and is comfortable to use. You can easily adjust the backlight using the F3 and F4 keys. Overall, the keyboard is better than that of the original ZenBook 3, which has shallow keys.

The touchpad is a mixed bag. On one hand, it has good size and comes with a smooth surface that easily reads multi-finger Windows 10 gestures. On the other hand, the fingerprint reader is integrated into the touchpad, in the top-right corner. Fingerprint readers are useful for quickly accessing your laptop, but they don’t belong in the touchpad.

Like the original ZenBook 3, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe includes good-sounding quad speakers. Two of the speakers are top-firing and are located just above the keyboard deck. The other half of the Harman Kardon speakers are on the underside. While they are not as good as headphones and external speakers, the built-in speakers are good enough for entertainment.

For connectivity, this Asus ultraportable laptop has three USB-C ports and one audio port. Two of the USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 3. There are no USB-A ports on this laptop. But the good news is that Asus includes a multi-port hub – which includes another USB-C port, an HDMI port, and a USB-A port – in the package.

Performance

The ZenBook 3 Deluxe is an excellent laptop for productivity and general use. You’ll have no problem multitasking on it with multiple Chrome tabs and documents open at the same time. The read and write speeds are faster than that of the Acer, Lenovo, and HP laptops on this list, while the cooling system is fairly quiet and effective.

Sadly, the battery life is below-average. Asus claims 9 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi enabled and the screen brightness set to around 60 percent. But the actual battery life is only around 7-8 hours, which is disappointing since other ultraportable laptops in the same price range offer better battery life. On the bright side, the battery charges fast, reaching 60 percent capacity in just 49 minutes.

Regarding display quality, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe is great. The sRGB color space coverage is excellent while the contrast ratio is decent. The viewing angles are also wide, which means the colors don’t dramatically shift when viewing the screen from the side. While it’s not as good as the Apple MacBook Pro, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe can get bright enough for outdoor use, but not when under direct sunlight.

Verdict

Overall, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe is one of the best SSD laptops on the market. It has a gorgeous design and offers solid performance. It’s compact and lightweight and includes multiple USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support. If you want a 14-inch ultraportable laptop with a fast SSD but don’t like the all-business look of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, check out this Asus laptop.

5. HP Spectre x360

The HP Spectre x360 is an excellent option if you are looking for a 2-in-1 laptop with great storage performance. The product listed here is the 13.3-inch model released in late 2017 and includes an Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, a 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB storage. You can now get it for around $1,300, which is a great price point for a 2-in-1 laptop with those specifications.

Design & Features

This HP laptop has a well-built chassis, featuring a sturdy hinge that holds the screen reliably no matter the orientation/mode. The 13.3-inch 1080p touchscreen has narrow bezels, which makes it even more attractive. There is a built-in camera in the top bezel, but as with most other laptop cameras, the camera quality is mediocre, with external cameras being much better options. The Spectre x360 also includes built-in speakers, which have good overall sound quality.

The keyboard is well implemented, with good key travel and tactile feedback. It’s got a good backlight and is comfortable to use. The wide touchpad is also good, with its smooth surface easily registering Windows 10 gestures. Unlike with the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe, the fingerprint reader is not integrated into the touchpad and is instead located along the side. You can also use the included HP pen for input, but it’s not as sensitive as that of other 2-in-1 laptops.

The Spectre x360 includes dual USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, along with a USB-A port and an audio port. There is also a microSD card slot, which is useful for photographers. You can use the dual Thunderbolt 3 ports to connect an external GPU or a monitor with USB-C connectivity.

Performance

A suitable laptop for productivity and general use, the Spectre x360 offers great overall performance and an effective cooling system. You can open more than a dozen Chrome tabs on it and play a video clip in one tab and it will barely break a sweat, even when there are also multiple documents open at the same time. With the fast SSD, applications open up fast and the laptop boots up quickly. The battery life is also good, capping out at around 8-9 hours when doing general tasks.

In terms of display quality, this HP laptop is good. It’s got excellent coverage for the sRGB color space and good peak brightness. You’ll have no problem using it in a room with a moderate amount of ambient light. The contrast ratio is not that great, though, which translates to less vibrant images.

While certainly not as good as high-end gaming laptops, the Spectre x360 is also a decent machine for some light gaming. You won’t be able to enjoy graphically intensive triple-A games on it, but it’s decent enough for older titles and games such as League of Legends. You can connect an external GPU if you want better gaming performance, but there are far better options out there if you are into serious gaming.

Verdict

If you are in the market for an excellent 2-in-1 laptop with a very fast SSD storage, check out this HP product. It has a great keyboard, a good battery life, a responsive touchscreen, and dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for futureproofing. It has good-sounding speakers as well, which can’t be said for some ultraportable laptops in the same price range.

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